Iraq's al Qaeda group said today it would kill Egypt's top envoy to Iraq who it had kidnapped, according to an Internet statement.
“The sharia court of al Qaeda Organisation in Iraq has decided to hand over the apostate, the ambassador of Egypt which is allied to Jews and Christians, to the mujahideen to carry out the punishment of the apostate ... and to kill him,” said the statement posted on an Islamist Web site.
The statement could not be immediately authenticated.
The group's leader in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said earlier his group had formed a new armed wing to fight the Shia militia Badr Brigade, according to an audio tape attributed to him and posted on the Internet yesterday.
“We in al Qaeda Organisation for Holy War in Iraq announce the formation of a military brigade named Omar Brigade, to cut off the symbols and factions of the treacherous Badr Brigade,“ said the voice on the audio tape which sounded similar to previous recordings attributed to Zarqawi.